HOW TO DO MARBLE NAILS (FOR ALL SKILL LEVELS)

Marble nails are a hugely popular trend and one we love here at Naio Nails. Whether it’s a black and white marble effect or bright colours, marble effect nails always look stunning. Though they may look impressive, learning how to do marble nails is simple once you know how and a great option if you’re looking for maximum impact with minimum effort. 

Want to get gorgeous marble nails? Here at Naio Nails, we’ve got a video tutorial and simple step-by-step guide on doing your very own marble gel nails at home using just your gel kit – and a Sharpie pen! A super quick and easy way to get marble effect nails, this simple Sharpie method is ideal for all skill levels, so whether you’re new to nail art or already a pro, you can get magnificent marble nails in no time.

You Will Need:

• Gel polish base colour of choice (opt for a light shade for this technique)
• UV or LED light
• Top coat
• A black Sharpie pen
• Gel Residue Wipe-Off Solution
• A dappen dish
• 1 or 2 thin brushes

How To Do Marble Nails With A Sharpie

Step 1:

Start by applying a thin layer of your gel nail colour of choice and curing it under your lamp (LED = 1 minute, UV = 2 minutes). If you’re applying to your natural nails, apply and cure a base coat first. You’ll need two thin coats of colour, so repeat this process. Once you’ve got your base colour perfected, seal this with your topcoat.

Step 2:

Take your bottle of Gel Residue Wipe-Off Solution and pour a small amount into a dappen dish. You don’t need a lot, just enough to dip your brush into.

Step 3:

Taking your Sharpie pen, draw three squiggly lines diagonally across your nail. These don’t have to be perfect so don’t worry too much about how they look! Just make sure they’re spaced out across the length of your nail.

Step 4:

Dip your brush into the Gel Residue Wipe-Off Solution and dab it lightly over each Sharpie line, which will make the ink start to bleed out onto the rest of your nail. Gently rub your brush into the ink lines and create a marble effect by dragging it in the direction you want, whether diagonally or vertically down your nail. Remember to press really lightly with your brush, using just the tip. 

Step 5:

Once you’ve got your desired pattern for your marble effect nails, wait for them to dry for a few seconds before applying another thin layer of top coat and cure them again under your lamp. 

Step 6 (Optional):

At this point, you can be done! Or, you can add an optional bit of gold to your marble nails using a very fine brush. Simply dip the very tip of your brush into a tiny amount of gold gel polish and trace onto your nail, following the pattern of your marble. Remember not to press the brush too hard; it should be a very thin, delicate line to give a little extra shimmer. Once you’ve added all the gold you want, add another thin layer of top coat and cure again.

And voila! You should be left with gorgeous marble gel nails and a new skill to add to your nail art repertoire. This is one of our favourite ways to get marble effect nails with just a few products and without a lot of experience in nail art needed. With a little bit of practice, anyone can perfect this look. We’ve used white and black here but you could experiment with another colour as your base  – remember to stick to light shades though, in order for the black of your Sharpie to stand out.

How to Do Gel Nails (For Professionals)

Want to try a different technique? If you’re a training nail technician and want to learn how to do marble nails using just gel polish and brush techniques, we’ve got a tutorial for that too! Check out our video below, where Kirsty teaches a step-by-step guide on exactly how to do professional marble nails for clients.

Explore our complete gel polish range now.